Thanks to Jimbo for providing background research for Queen Elizabeth’s hats featured in this “Monday Multiples” series.
During the early 1980s, Queen Elizabeth paired a blue and green printed dress with three unique hats. Interestingly, each pairing appeared on a tropical foreign tour:
Look #1: Deep green silk tam with large blue flower worn October 30, 1982 in Fiji
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Look #2: Emerald and white straw cuffed turban with draped navy silk hatband scarf October 10, 1985 in Belize
Embed from Getty Images
Embed from Getty Images
Look #3: Dark green straw hat with white upturned halo brim and large silk flower on the back worn October 11, 1985 arriving in The Bahamas. This hat was previously worn with a green printed dress on two more tropical visits- February 17, 1977 in Fiji and October 28, 1977 in Antigua!
Which of these tropical pairings do you prefer most?
Photos from Getty as indicated
Royal Hats 
I’m sure I’m a day late and a dollar short, but here’s helmet #2 from 1977, with a blue and green patterned dress, probably the original combination?
March 13, 1977: Sydney Photo by Ramon Williams, Worldwide Photos
I can’t find a color photo of HM’s visit to Saskatoon, Canada (1978) but here is a different dress with helmet #2.
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Hmmmm…. I think hat #2 has a twin in white, black and red
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I really like #1.
You would think that some white in the hat would be great because the dress has white as well. But for me that’s not the case here. Especially for hat #3 because it’s white and green. And I think you need some blue to balance it out.
I love Virginia’s comment: “#3 is the least awful.”
#2 helmet is actually not so bad. I prefer #1 however.
Would #3 white hat be better if it was trimmed in navy instead of green? I think it would blend better with the primarily blue shades of the dress.
HM could have also worn the following hat. I’m probably in Minority Corner when I say that I really like this two-toned ensemble she wore in Berlin: October 20, 1982.
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The color scheme of all of these is my favorite part of this post; such beautiful shades of blue and green. But overall I don’t find any of these extremely flattering for HM.
I love the giant flower of #1 (could we get AK to repurpose it on a new hat for HM?), but paired with the relaxed/casual tam shape seems a bit off to me, especially in Fiji (looks like a hot hat for the climate). #2 is pretty awful and does nothing for HM. #3 is my favorite overall, and I think the green of the hat helps tie in the bow at the waist, but it still seems off in general.
Jimbo, your suggestion here I think would honestly be the best pairing for this dress; I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing this one brought out of a hatbox again! Thanks for all your work, and hope you had a good weekend gathering!
I like that ensemble too! Nice color combo.
I believe this was 1992, not 1982!
Not a huge fan of any of these hats, but I think the tam with large blossom is the best of the three. I agree with k2classroom that it’s an unusual design and quite suits HM. I don’t like the middle helmet at all!
I love hat # 2. The color combo is beautiful to me and I think they show the difference in colors.
I like them all but I do wonder exactly when Her Majesty stopped wearing white shoes and gloves and carrying a white handbag in the summer or in the tropics.
yes, i like all of the hats too, though perhaps not with the dress. maybe jimbo’s 4th hat might have been the solution (and i’m sure ive seen this outfit into the 90’s…)
as for the white shoes and handbag i feel that these might have had their final outing on hm’s last overseas tour to a warm climate in 2010, around the gulf states – uae, and oman. maybe we haven’t seen them since in the uk either as they have become somewhat out of date??? we have seen the occasional use of the nude/beige accessories thereafter – i think the most high profile of these events was at william and kates wedding (and also zara’s wedding), and i wish we would see them more often…
Lord. None of this! I think the problem is that dress, it’s doing her no favours whatsoever. The print is too busy and the bow at the waist is really mumsy. The first hat looks like it’s been sat on, the second one is about 10 years out of date and the third one is okay, but doesn’t go with the dress. She clearly wasn’t sure either as she didn’t stick with any, I assume the first one was the one designed to go with the dress in the first place.
I’m selecting #1 for its slightly eccentric charm. The enormous flower stuck onto the tam shouldn’t really work, but it makes me smile. I’m voting a firm “no” on the helmet. And I agree with k2classroom that the white of the last hat is jarring.
The first one could only be survived by Her Majesty!
I actually like all three hats because the colors are so nice together. The white in the last hat is a bit jarring after seeing the other two, but it relates to the rest of her outfit very well. I just really love the first hat. I love the pleats in the tam and the contrast of the green and blue and the size of the blue flower. It is a departure from HM’s norm and it looks flattering on her!
The white hat looks much better with the other dress she wore it with.
None of them does her any favors, but #3 is the least awful